Establishing Innocence or Guilt
The Reliability of Convictions
-
Plano, Texas, USA
Registrar: +1.972.244.3404
Fax: +1.972.244.3401
E-Mail: cail@cailaw.org
Overview
This program will highlight topical issues related to actual innocence, focusing on causes of and solutions to wrongful convictions. It will focus on best practices for defense lawyers, prosecutors and law enforcement officials, discussing forensic evidence and other issues. This course should be relevant to prosecutors and their staff, defense lawyers and their staff, law enforcement officers and judges.
This program is funded by a grant from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
Download the Brochure (pdf)
For more details, download the online brochure.
Who Should Attend?
Judges, Prosecutors and their staff, Criminal Defense Attorneys and their staff, Law Enforcement Officers, and law students. Thanks to the grant, the seminar is offered tuition-free to most registrants.
Schedule and Faculty
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
8:00 a.m.
Check-In & Registration
9:00 a.m.
Welcome & Introductions
9:05 a.m.
Criminal Justice Reform Initiatives in Collin County
- Greg Willis, Collin County District Attorney’s Office, McKinney, Texas
- Bill Wirskye, Collin County District Attorney’s Office, McKinney, Texas
10:00 a.m.
Case Law & Legislative Update
- Gary Udashen, Udashen & Anton, Dallas, Texas
11:00 a.m.
Break
11:15 a.m.
Panel: What All Counties Can Do for Conviction Integrity
- Calli Bailey, Collin County District Attorney’s Office, McKinney, Texas
- Dawn Boswell, Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, Fort Worth, Texas
- Alison Dahlberg, Bexar County District Attorney’s Office, San Antonio, Texas
- Gerald Doyle, Harris County District Attorney’s Office, Houston, Texas
- Cynthia Garza, Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, Dallas, Texas
- John F. Lopez, Travis County District Attorney’s Office, Austin, Texas
12:15 p.m.
Lunch (Provided)
1:00 p.m.
Bond Reform Initiatives
- Patricia Cummings, Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2:00 p.m.
Break
2:05 p.m.
Bloodstain Pattern Analysis in the Courtroom: Good Science vs. Bad Analysis
- Celestina Rossi, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Conroe, Texas
3:35 p.m.
Break
3:45 p.m.
Mental Health and the Criminal Justice System
- John Dornheim, NAMI North Texas, Dallas, Texas
4:45 p.m.
Reception
5:45 p.m.
Recess
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
9:00 a.m.
Best Practices for Prosecutors
- Cynthia Garza, Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, Dallas, Texas
10:00 a.m.
Forensics & Actual Innocence: What’s New?
- Lynn Garcia, Texas Forensic Science Commission, Austin, Texas
11:00 a.m.
Break
11:15 a.m.
DNA in 2019
- Lynn Garcia, Texas Forensic Science Commission, Austin, Texas
12:15 p.m.
Lunch (Provided)
1:00 p.m.
Best Practices for Defense Attorneys
- Russell Wilson, Law Office of Russell Wilson II, Dallas, Texas
2:00 p.m.
Break
2:15 p.m.
Ethics Panel
- Gerald Doyle, Harris County District Attorney’s Office, Houston, Texas
- Jules Epstein, Temple University School of Law, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Jacob Mitchell, Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, Fort Worth, Texas
- Sarah Roland, Attorney at Law, Denton, Texas
3:15 p.m.
Improving Statement Evidence Reliability
- James Trainum, Criminal Case Review and Consulting, Washington, D.C.
5:15 p.m.
Recess
Thursday, February 28, 2019
9:00 a.m.
Introduction to The Richard Miles Case
- Cynthia Garza, Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, Dallas, Texas
9:15 a.m.
A Session with Richard Miles
- Richard Miles, Exoneree, Dallas, Texas
10:15 a.m.
Session on Richard Miles Case (From a Defense Perspective)
- Cheryl Wattley, UNT Dallas College of Law, Dallas, Texas
11:15 a.m.
Break
11:30 a.m.
Session Richard Miles Case (From a Prosecution Perspective)
- Mike Ware, Attorney At Law, Fort Worth, Texas
12:30 p.m.
Lunch (Provided)
1:15 p.m.
The Importance of Polygraph Testing in Actual Innocence Cases: Issues to Consider
-
Eric J. Holden, M.A., L.P.C., Behavioral Measures & Forensic Services, Dallas, TX
2:15 p.m.
Comments from the Hon. Barbara Hervey
3:00 p.m.
Roundtable: The Richard Miles Case
- Gary Udashen (Moderator)
- Cynthia Garza
- The Hon. Barbara Hervey
- Richard Miles
- Mike Ware
- Cheryl Wattley
4:00 p.m.
Adjourn
CLE Credit
The State Bar of Texas has approved this program for a total of 19.5 hours, including 1 hour of ethics. Course ID Number: 174041668.
In addition to Texas, after the program (if requested) CAIL will directly apply for course accreditation in the following states, as long as course materials and evaluations are not required: California, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Attorneys may be eligible to receive CLE credit through attorney self-submission in other states, as long as course materials and evaluations are not required to be submitted.
TCOLE Credit
Law enforcement personnel attending this course are eligible for 21 hours of Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) credit.
OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATIONS
Hyatt Place Plano welcomes our guests attending Establishing Innocence, at The Center for American and International Law. We have set aside a block of rooms with a group rate of $103/night, plus applicable fees/taxes for 2/25/2019-2/28/2019.
Please make your reservations by 2/10/2019. As long as the reservation is made by this date, and the group block has availability, you will receive the group rate. Any reservations not received on or before this cut-off date are subject to hotel availability at the best available prevailing rate.
Booking Instructions
Type in Arrival/Departure Dates
Enter Group/Corporate #: G-C100
or
Call 888-HYATT-HP (888.492.8847) or 972.378.3997
Dates available: 2/25/2019-2/28/2019
Mention the group name: CAILAW / Establishing Innocence
- A valid credit card is required to make reservations
- Tax Exemption Certificates and Credit Card Authorization Forms may be faxed to the hotel directly at 972.608.4427 prior to your arrival.
Other Information
Cancellation Policy
Written cancellation must be received 5 business days prior to a program to receive a refund (Email: lgaspar@cailaw.org). After this date, no refunds, but substitution of attendees for this program will be permitted with prior approval. Registrants not entitled to a refund will receive the course materials. Note: Registrants must attend the program to receive the course materials, unless tuition was paid.
Nondiscriminatory Policy
The Center for American and International Law does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or any other protected status in educational activities, scholarship programs or admissions.
Privacy Policy
We do not sell or rent information to any outside parties. By providing your information, you will receive postal and electronic communications from The Center for American and International Law (CAIL) in accordance with CAIL's Privacy Policy. If we co-sponsor a program with another organization, information may be shared between the parties. All such co-sponsors will be identified on the event details and registration page. At any point, you can opt-out or unsubscribe by selecting either link at the bottom of each email or call us at 972.244.3400.